At the peak of their powers, Men At Work were practically inescapable. At one time, “non-Men-at-Work days” were enforced on American radio, so ubiquitous were their hits. With a Grammy for Best New Artist in hand, frontman Colin Hay was on top of the world. But it ultimately proved but one chapter of an engrossing story. Music documentary Waiting For My Real Life not only traces Hay’s rise to superstardom, but documents his years of obscurity, as well as his efforts to recapture recognition.
Forever wearing his heart on his sleeve, Hay is the dream documentary subject, meeting every aspect of his storied career head on. His colourful commentary often comes in handy, particularly when the film details Hay’s resurgence via Bill Lawrence’s hit TV series Scrubs. While there’s no doubting its significance within the context of Hay’s career, the story of how he made it onto the show is less than remarkable. Ultimately, it’s Hay’s irrepressible charm, sense of humour and his much-celebrated way with words that comes to the rescue whenever the film seems to be treading water.
Waiting For My Real Life does well to capture many facets of Hay’s character via the peaks and valleys of years gone by. Perhaps most notably, the film documents the infamous Kookaburra legal battle of 2009, revealing the toll it took on his family and friends. A few truly gut-wrenching moments follow, accounting for the film’s most memorable scenes. It’s a shame that the documentary never digs deeper to provide more than a Wikipedia-esque snapshot into what was a huge news story and clearly a tumultuous time in Hay’s life.
Perhaps that’s the only major gripe with Waiting For My Real Life: it feels like an especially brisk tour of Hay’s entire career. There are threads tugged at half-heartedly, particularly Hay’s sudden disappearance from the public eye post-Men-at-Work. It’s an era that clearly lends itself to an examination of fame, as well as a more in-depth look at Hay’s demons, though the documentary scratches no deeper than the surface. Ironically, while the film opens with glowing testimonials highlighting Hay’s storytelling prowess, Waiting For My Real Life as a whole is more concerned with providing a basic biography and bringing the audience up-to-date.
BY NICK MASON
